What's real?
by Tempted Sacrifice
Summary: She'd always wondered why she couldn't shake her dreams off as easily as everyone else seemed to. Why she was the only one to see everything that was invisible to everyone else. *OOC, slightly AU. Romance if you squint.


** What's real? **

**҉**

"How do you do it?"

Luna Lovegood stared at Harry Potter questioningly; who had a look of confusion etched on his face.

"Do what?"

Sitting down on the bench, she let her blonde hair fall down, hiding her face.

"Stay in the reality."

She'd always wondered why she couldn't shake her dreams off as easily as everyone else seemed to. Why she was the only one to see everything that was invisible to everyone else.

"What do you mean?"

Turning her eyes towards him, the blue orbs swirling with emotions.

"I..."

She paused, not knowing what to say. How could she explain it to him?

"Ever since my mum died, I've been seeing things. They appear in my dreams; but doesn't disappear when I wake up. They are always there, as if they are watching me."

Frowning, she played with the hem of her shirt, not knowing how to continue.

"They're following me. And they make people dislike, make them think I'm off the rocker. Lately I've started to wonder if that's true."

A lonely tear slid down her face, and a thumb swiped it away. She jolted back to reality, having forgotten that Harry was still there.

"Now you probably think I'm crazy."

Laughter escaped her mouth, but it quickly died, as she turned her head to the right, tears shimmering in her eyes as she stared at the vast castle.

"No, I don't. I think you are brave. Not many people have the courage to talk."

Facing Harry again, she clasped their hands. His seemed to swallow hers.

"Thank you, for listening. You are a great friend. You are the best that can be found."

She whispered before rising from her seat, her back turned to the black-haired boy.

"But I don't think you'll ever understand, nor do you care to."

He made a sound of disagreement, and she shook her head softly, bangs covering her eyes.

"You have too much on your plate already. I shouldn't have told you any of this."

'No matter how good it felt to talk to someone who doesn't judge.'

"It was never my intention to make you feel bad. Good bye Harry."

Walking away, the wind blew around the courtyard, leaves swirling in the air before falling back down again.

As she opened the huge doors that led inside, she was hit with a slicing-hex, and the bottom part of her skirt ripped apart, pooling around her feet. She gently picked it up, and trying to suppress the aching in her chest, she walked away.

The first time, it had been difficult, to be taunted by everyone, but she'd gotten used to it over time, and had found the perfect place to calm herself.

Picking up her pace, she finally stood in front of the stone wall, and as she walked back and forth three times, she thought the same thing she'd done for the past five years.

'Give me a room where I can be myself, without judgement.'

It wasn't big, nor was it eloquent, but it fitted her perfectly.

Sitting down on the small couch, she stared at the small desk, with a cauldron perched on top. The walls were covered with shelves that were filled with ingredients, and for a moment she thought she saw her mother stand there, stirring a potion with a rod, wand in hand.

"You really like experimenting, don't you?"

As expected, no one answered. Though she imagined herself hearing a loud crash, the same one she'd heard ever since she was three.

If she closed her eyes, she could see her mother fly against the wall, her skull cracking, the potion hissing in its confines before bubbling over and running down the work desk. If her father had come a second later, there would never have been a Luna Lovegood.

'Would it have been better that way?'

Shaking her head, she rose up. She didn't like wallowing in self-pity for too long, or she might get stuck in the room forever. Picking up her discarded bag, she slung it over her shoulder.

Looking around the room, she felt that it didn't give her the same peace it had in the past. It didn't feel right, coming back here anymore. But it was hard to break a habit that had been there for so long.

As she exited the Room of Requirement, she let a giddy smile cover her face as she skipped down the hallway to the staircase waiting. A giggle escaped her mouth as her hair was flying behind her.

Maybe... Maybe she could finally be rid of those imaginations, and she could get friends in her own house. She had a feeling that it wasn't impossible anymore.

But even if that didn't happen, she knew that she had people who tolerated her for who she was.

"Thank you Harry, for being there for me."

She whispered, not even realizing that a black-haired boy with a scar stood next to her, covered in his famous invisibility cloak; a huge smile lighting up his worried face.

"I'll always be there, through every hardship that you go through."

He said as she was far away, too far to hear, before Harry Potter headed back to the Gryffindor common room, a small spring to his steps.

Maybe this year wouldn't be so tedious, if she were there.

**A/N:** A bit confusing maybe? Good, that's the purpose. I really, really like Luna, don't you do that too? Though I know she is OOC, but unfortunately, I cannot write her amazing characters as spectacularly as J.K Rowling.

Hope you liked it, even though it is short. Reviews wouldn't be too bad. I don't seem to get enough of those. :-(


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